


A Beginner's Guide to the Gods

by Galaxa13



Category: Homestuck
Genre: Gen
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2014-01-15
Updated: 2014-01-15
Packaged: 2018-01-08 19:42:55
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,547
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/1136611
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Galaxa13/pseuds/Galaxa13
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>A summary of religious scripture. May the Heir, Seer, Witch, and Knight bless you.</p>
            </blockquote>





	A Beginner's Guide to the Gods

Before there was anything there was the Heir. This was His domain yet He had nothing to inherit. He gazed at the great vastness and infantile smallness of it and was bored. He turned to the Seer and sought Her council. She told Him to enlist the help of the Witch and the Knight. They would create something for Him. With their abilities they would fill this emptiness and He could rule and be merry. So He went to the Witch and with a smile She created matter. She formed the building blocks of everything and created the universe. Then the Heir turned to the Knight and with a nod of His head He swept a silent hand over it all and it began to move. Time flowed through all that the Witch had created, constant motion and change. The Heir smiled and was happy.

This is the story that is told. Each god played a part in the Creation. The Witch built. The Knight started. The Seer advised. The Heir lead. However, each god has their own personal story written in the scriptures and studied in their worship.

Each god has two faces. The first is explained in the Creation story. The Heir, Seer, Witch, and Knight. Their opposite and equal halves are the Prankster, Shadow, Dog, and Child. While some argue that these are completely separate beings that simply had no role in Creation or perhaps are aspects of the Gods that splintered off and became their own selves, their lessons remain the same. Not everything is easy and the help of friends is always praised.

The Heir is the leader of the Gods. It is He who the others bow to. It is He who watches over everything and everyone. It is He who rallied the others and it is He who keeps them in line. All is His domain. After the Creation He watched life begin and graced it with His proud smile. As things grew and changed He kept hardships at bay. However He was unable to keep watch over all and failed in His duty to protect. All were not free and progress was put to a halt. He was saddened by this and called the others to Him. The Witch offered to remove parts of what which had been created so that He would not need to protect so much. The Knight offered to stop time so things would remain as they were and forever safe. The Seer offered to protect in His place so that He may not worry himself. The Heir refused all their suggestions. He could not take away what was there for that would be stealing what was. He could not stop the flow from continuing for that would be stealing of what could be. He could not step down from His position for that would be cowardly. The Heir learned not to dwell on sadness, for without sadness there could be no joy.

As the Prankster He will visit the people and play tricks on them to spread amusement and joy. The Prankster will hide away items and make chairs topple or preform other jokes. It is His giggle that is heard on the wind. Chimes hung where His laughter may grace them give His blessing. He is always there, involved in all life. His visits may come often or be scarce, but the Prankster is always by your side and will leave odd presents as His blessing. No one knows what it is that He plans or predict where He will show up, but He is there.

One should pray to the Heir for matters of change or happiness for He is the leader and the friend.

He is always depicted in blue. When focus is on His Prankster half He is never seen on the ground for His laughter keeps Him afloat and lets Him ride the wind. Often the Heir is seen with a hammer that is used to swat away evil and keep it at bay.

The Seer is the council for She can see the path to prosperity. It is Her who the others turn to for advice. She is the spreader of knowledge and chronicler of events. When the Heir lead the others in the Creation she opened Her Tome of Stories and recorded all that happened. Since then She has written all history and shares it with others so that they may learn from past mistakes. Her knowledge made Her arrogant, though. She believed her knowledge of all favorable paths and past events made her immune to folly. She ceased heeding the advice from the others as She felt only She knew what needed to be done. She focused on a singular path and did not entertain the thought of other possibilities for any path that She chose would be the Right path. This led to her downfall. Blinded by her own light she failed to see the darkness that surrounded her.

As the Shadow She destroys all that is in Her way. Nothing will obscure Her goal. She cares not for what lies in her path and will rip through it to get to the favorable end She has envisioned. When disaster strikes it is the Shadow who is to blame. Dark clouds obscure Her light, and She grows more reckless. The Knight and Heir are Her saviors. The Heir commands the clouds to let her light shine once more and the Knight relays history unto Her to reveal her follies. With their help She will always return to Her role of guiding others and preventing mistakes.

One should pray to Her for matters of knowledge and luck for She is the adviser and light bringer.

Her Seer half is always depicted in colors of the sun while her Shadow half are always depicted in colors of the night. A common symbol for her is the rose as its petals and fragrance are enjoyable while its thorns can obstruct and harm.

The Witch is the mother of all things. It is She who creates. When supplies are scarce it is She who the others seek the aid of. It is She who clears the blocked path. It is She who builds defenses. She grows, shrinks, and moves that which She sees fit. She manipulates all that is. She keeps the balance of power. Power is a dangerous thing and when is it misused or not used when needed She grows angry for the scales are tipped. She transforms into a beast that thinks of nothing but balancing of that power and does what ever is needed to return the power balance.

As the Dog she vanquishes all those who would disturb the Power Balance. She sends Her fire to burn Her enemies and in Her jaws She snaps their bones. She stops only when the Power Balance is restored. There is no other way to quiet Her rage. It can only be shortened by the help of the other Gods, as they help to return balance and to return their friend to her true form.

One should pray to Her for matters of harvest and building for She is the farmer and architect.

As the Witch Her hair and dress are composed of the night sky while as the Dog She has been depicted as both black and white, but always surrounded by green fire caused by Her anger. Her temples are adorned with frogs, a sign of change and growth.

The Knight is the protector of all things. It is He who keeps the flow of time. When a wrong has been done it is He who makes sure it never happens in the beginning. He is the one to live a thousand lifetimes that no one will ever know so that others may not die. He makes small changes in our lives that will have big effects on the world. Tirelessly working He is often faced with tragedy and death, it is His burden to watch them happen so that others may not. God though He may be at times it can become too much for even Him to handle and His armor breaks to reveal the Child held within.

As the Child He cries. He cries for all the doomed souls He has watched die and He cries for Himself for not having the strength to save everyone. The Child is weak and vulnerable. His cry can be heard by those mourning the death of someone who died before their time for He feels great guilt over being unable to prevent their passing. He must be reminded of the strength He possesses by His fellow gods to return Him to his proper state.

One should pray to the Knight for matters of strength and death for he is the warrior and the reaper.

The Knight's eyes are always obscured, most often by a helmet, but depictions of the Child have been known to show prominent red eyes to symbolize life's blood. A common motif in artwork of this god is hundreds of bodies strewn at his feet. Broken objects are His symbol, the frailty of life and how simple things can change everything.

Please contact your local temple to learn more about the gods.


End file.
